Sites, cities, and more to explore when in Europe
One of our favorite travel traditions is visiting Costco whenever we travel internationally. It may sound unusual, but Costco offers a fascinating glimpse into everyday life in another country. If you follow us online, you’re aware that The Wall Street Journal interviewed the Cajun Explorers. They noted how we treat international Costco visits as part […]
Costco London: Food Court, Prices, and Unique British Products Read More »
When we first visited London 35 years ago, people carried paper maps instead of smartphones and if you wanted directions, you had to ask an actual human being. Imagine that. There’s something surreal about returning to a city after 35 years. In our memories, London still felt wrapped in foggy mornings, red phone booths, paper maps, and
Our First Trip To London In 35 Years: A Nostalgic Return Full Of Surprises Read More »
Discovering Unusual Paris Sites Like many travelers, our first visits to Paris focused on the city’s famous landmarks—the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Notre-Dame. After years of visiting Paris, we assumed we had already uncovered most of its hidden surprises. This trip proved otherwise. By wandering beyond the well-trodden tourist routes, we uncovered a collection
Beyond The Eiffel Tower: Unusual and Quirky Paris Sites Most Tourists Never See Read More »
Our Slow Travel Love Story with Paris Some cities impress you once and leave behind a beautiful memory. But Paris does something different. It quietly calls us back. Not because we need to check famous landmarks off a list. We came back because Paris feels different when you stop trying to “see it all” and simply start
Why We Keep Returning to Paris: A Slow Travel Love Story Read More »
What is shopping at Costco in France really like? While spending a week visiting friends in the French countryside, we headed back to Costco in France again! There’s something a little funny, and honestly a little comforting, about traveling across France and suddenly spotting a familiar red-and-blue sign for Costco. Our latest stop at a
Costco France: Food Court, French Finds and Why It’s One of Our Favorite Stops Read More »
After busy days of exploring cities around France, we decided to take a vacation “recess” and visit friends in the French countryside. We needed a bit of respite from jam packed sightseeing itineraries. Yes, I admit, I always over-plan our days afraid we’ll miss something important. So, it’s time to slow down for a peaceful
A Vacation Recess: Visiting Friends in the French Countryside Read More »
Join us as we journey to Orléans France to explore unique sites and local history. Along the way, we’ll also seek out hidden gems that make this city shine. Just last week we visited Dijon, France. By comparison, Orléans is even smaller, with a population of about 120,000 people. There’s one thing we’ve learned traveling throughout
Hidden Gems In Orléans France: Unique Sites and Local History Read More »
Before visiting Dijon, we expected mustard, Burgundy wine, and maybe a few pretty buildings. What we didn’t expect was how quickly this city would captivate us. So we’ll share with you what makes Dijon France so special and our favorite discoveries. Sunday is our first day in Dijon. Our apartment is in the center of the
What makes Dijon France so Special? Our Favorite Discoveries Read More »
Why Spend 2 Weeks in Lyon? Spending 2 weeks in Lyon is one of the best ways to experience authentic French culture beyond Paris at slower pace. We want to enjoy more time “living as locals” enjoying the best things to see, eat and experience. Instead of a quick typical tourist visit cramming in the
Two Weeks in Lyon: The Best Things to See, Eat & Experience Read More »
We are spending a week in the French Riviera visiting Nice, Monaco and Menton. It’s time for sun, sea and old town charm. Nice is our home base to explore the area. The Côte d’Azur, also known as the French Riviera, is one of Europe’s most glamorous coastal regions. It’s famous for its sun-drenched beaches,
The Best Week in the French Riviera: Sun, Sea, and Old Town Charm Read More »
Arriving in Barcelona We sailed into Barcelona from our Transatlantic cruise like a couple of Cajun Explorers chasing sunshine instead of swamp mist, trading bayou breezes for Mediterranean salt air. And cher, let me tell you—this city don’t just welcome you, it grabs you by the soul and says, “Laissez les bon temps rouler… but
From Sangria To Sagrada: 3 Epic Days In Barcelona Read More »
This is the continuation of our 16 Day Transatlantic Cruise to Spain. Part 1 explored Nassau, The Bahamas and the 8 sea days we traveled before arriving in Spain. This post covers our remaining 5 days on our cruise. We are visiting 5 ports around Spain over the next 5 days. This is more like
A 16 Day Transatlantic Cruise to Spain: What it’s really like (Part 2) Read More »
We begin our 16 day transatlantic cruise to Spain departing from the Royal Caribbean cruise terminal in Galveston, Texas. This is the first part of our three month 2026 European adventure. The morning we left Houston, we hadn’t expected a cold front. We awoke to 40 degree weather. So, we had a last minute wardrobe
A 16 Day Transatlantic Cruise to Spain: What it’s really like (Part 1) Read More »
I originally published this post in 2022 based on our pre-COVID visit to what I think are the 3 best Paris flea markets for antiquing. I promised to update the information and photos below from our recent 2023 vacation. After visiting all three flea markets, I’m happy to say that these are still tops in
The 3 best flea markets for antiquing in Paris-2023 update Read More »
The Costco France food court has a few menu items that we don’t have in the US. We just returned from France in June 2023, after spending almost three months vacationing there. Our typical routine at home is a weekly shopping trip to Costco. Of course sometimes, Danny makes more than one trip a week.
Costco France food court and the special menu options Read More »
This post is the update to our original post Car Rental vs Lease Part 1. Part 1 outlined how the Car-2-Europe short-term lease program saved us $1,000-$1,600 off the cost of a 45-day car rental to drive around Europe. Part 2 shares our Car-2-Europe experience with Auto Europe and the results of the process involved
Welcome to chapter 16 of our travel adventures— A Summer in France: Paris, Week 4. This is the final post in our Summer in France series. We are flying home tomorrow. Air Balloon Flight Since we arrived in Paris, I’ve been trying to take Danny aboard the Balloon de Paris. It’s the world’s largest balloon,
A Summer in France: Paris, Week 4–Our First Bucket List Read More »
Thanks for coming back to read our travel adventures— A Summer in France: Paris, Week 3. We kicked off the weekend going to flea markets. I’ve posted before about my 3 best flea markets for antiquing in Paris. So I wanted to visit post-Covid to see if they’ve changed. Marché aux puces de la Porte
A Summer in France: Paris, Week 3–Our First Bucket List, Read More »
Thanks for joining us again for chapter 14 of A Summer in France: Paris, Week 2. This is part two of our month in Paris, the final leg of our journey. This week is another busy week of fun with Tom & Cary in town. We’ve created a routine enjoying the sites all day and
A Summer in France: Paris, Week 2—Our First Bucket List Read More »
Thanks for joining us again for chapter 13 of A Summer in France: Paris, Week 1. This is part one of our month in Paris, the final leg of our journey. The weekend before we arrived in Paris, we spent with our friends Valerie, Laurent and Maxine again. I hadn’t realized how tired we were
A Summer in France: Paris, Week 1—Our First Bucket List Read More »
Welcome to chapter 12–A Summer in France: Provence Villages. In my last post, we stayed in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue to use as a base to explore several towns and villages in Provence. If you’re not familiar with the Provence-Alpes-Côté-d’Azur area of southern France, here’s a map to highlight where it is. We were able to visit several
A Summer in France: Provence Villages—Our First Bucket list Continues Read More »
A Summer in France: L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is chapter 11 of our trip. This small town is famous for its many antique shops and hosts antique markets on Sundays which takes over the entire town center. If you’ve parked inside the old center, there’s no getting in or out that day. This is probably the largest antiques area in
A Summer in France: L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue — Our First Bucket List Continues Read More »
This is chapter 10 of Summer in France: Montpellier. We arrived from Barcelona a couple of days ago, but our first stop was Les Grands Buffets that I recently posted about. So, we’ve now had some time to recover and can resume our sightseeing. Montpellier is the seventh largest city in France with a city
A Summer in France: Montpellier—Our First Bucket List Continues Read More »
Welcome to chapter 9, Summer In France: Les Grands Buffets. This is a special post about our experience at an all-you-can-eat gourmet buffet in Narbonne, France called Les Grands Buffets. We enjoy most buffet restaurants back home, but they are very rare in France. Even more rare is one that advertises as gourmet, upscale, elegant
A Summer In France: Les Grands Buffets — A Spectacular Feast Read More »
